The granite floor of the cave, steady and solid for over a millennia, swayed. Ivo clutched at the altar. He looked up and saw his own alarm reflected in the priest’s eyes.
The ground moved again, not violently but in a gentle roll. That didn’t make it any less worrying. Neither did the faint rumbling from the back of the cave, where the light of the torches didn’t reach.
“Stay calm my children,” said the priest in a shaky voice.
There weren’t many worshippers that evening. There never were these days.
There was a flash of light from the back of the cave and then the smell of smoke. A loud thump echoed out, along with the clatter of many pebbles showering down, and was followed by another and another.
The priest shrieked and dove to the side while people rushed out in earnest. Ivo was poised to run as well but he saw the altar girl still standing in place, too frightened to move. He leapt over the altar towards her and grabbed at her shoulders.
“Come quickly,” he urged, but she shook her head.
“It is him.”
She was smiling as she watched the back of the cave. Ivo could make out a large shadow moving in the darkness and gripped her tighter.
“Him?”
Suddenly the cave was lit by twin flames coming straight from where it had been darkest. Ivo saw scales and fangs, terrible reptilian eyes, and a webbed claw moving forward.
“It is him! Welcome, my lord,” called out the girl. “Your faithful have waited for you for over a thousand years.”
The flames receded, leaving behind a faint mist of smoke. The dragon had moved close enough that Ivo could see his eyes grow wide.
“A thousand years?” he asked, his voice deep and raspy. “You’ve gotta be kidding me.”
This was inspired by Tuesday's #freewrite prompt by 
Image via pixabay.